Hydrobrake



June 1, 1932. R. J. NORTON HYDROBRAKE Filed July 2. 1930 j Patented June7, v1932 UNITED srA'rEs PATEN'E `OFFICE RAYMOND J'. NORTON, OFWASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, .ASSIGNOR TO BENDIX AVIATIONCORPORATION, 0F SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,l A CORPORATION OF\ DELA- waanmnonnm Application mamy 2, raso. seriai No. 465,408.

This invention relates to a retarding mechanism and more particularly toa hyro brake for seaplanes and iying boats.

It is sometimes desirable to retard the speed of a seaplane or flyingboat, when taxiing upon the water and also to increase itsmaneuverability on the water. Another factor which is of importance inthis type of structure is the take-Gif ability of the ship from thewater.

A major object of the present invention is flying boat.

With these and other objects in view the' invention comprehends theprovision of an element or elements so designed and arranged withrespect to the float mechanism of a seaplane as to serve either as ahydroplaning surface or as a water brake.

In order to clarify the description of the invention a typical physicalembodiment of it is shown, diagrammatically, lin the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a seaplane in which the improvement isembodied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the hydro brake;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of a modified form of the hydro brake;and

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3. e

It is advantageous, for a number of reasons, to provide a mechanism,associated with the float or hull of a seaplane or {iying boat, whichmay be made to act with the water to retard the speed of the ship on thewater. Due to the fact that the slip stream effects of a single screwship causes a sluggish maneuyer in one direction it is desirable toprovide means for counteracting this effect, that is to say, to increasethe dirigibility of the plane when maneuvering upon a water surface. Itis also advantageous, as is well known,` to provide a means forincreasing the lifting or hydroplaning effect upon the oat or pontoon offlying ships, and also to brake or minimize the adherence between thefloat and the water at the moment of takeoff. All of these advantagesare subserved by the apparatus hereinafter to be described.

In accordance with the present invention a mechanism is provided whichwhen moved in one position functions to increase the lift upon the hulland when moved to another position'to act as a retarding means for theship.

As shown in Figure 1 this improvement may be associated with a seaplanewhich may comprise such conventional elements as the fuselage 1,sustenation surface or surfaces 2, propelling mechanisms 3 and empennage4f. The water sustaining surface 5 may comprise a single central hull ora plurality of pon-- toons of the usual type, having a cruising bow 6and special hydroplane bottoms. The water sustaining surfaces may besecured indirectly or. immediately to the fuselage through any suitabletype of supporting structure indicated on the drawing by the floatstruts 7, 8, and 9. The pontoon or float structure may be constructed ofany suitable material such as single or double bottom hulls \of wood orlight weight alloys such as duralumin.

In accordance with the present invention the hull or body structure isreinforced as by the ribs l0 and 11 and stanchion element or elements12. The pontoon is provided with a,

sealed well 13, formed between the stanchions 12 in which operates thenovel hydro brake 14. This element may comprise a member havingrelatively wide surfaces 15 and 16, which have sliding engagement withthe sides of the well. The friction between the sliding `surfaces may bediminished by any suitable anti-friction means. This hydro brake isprovided with a bottom portion 17, which isv designed in a manner wellknown to those skilled in the art to serve as a lifting or hydroplaningsurface when brought into operative position with respect to the Water tsurface as indicated by the position 17a.

tarding means or brake.

The hydro brake is provided with an actuating mechanism which may beoperated so as to cause the hydro brake to function either as ahydroplaning surface or as a water re- It will be appreciated that arelatively Wide variety of mechanisms may be utilized for this purpose.

The typical embodiment in the drawing comprises an actuator 18, whichreciprocates within a casing 19. At one end this actuator is secured toa piston rod 20. A piston 21 is nected with the brake element and afixed sec- `tion of the pontoon is a retract-ing spring 28,

which, as will be readily understood, serves to return the brake elementinto its inoperative position.

The operation of the device will be appreciated from the describedrelationships of the Ielements. When it is desired to increase thehydroplaning effect the lever, or other oper--` ating element, may bedisplaced to cause longitudinal movement ofV the actuator 18. Rearwardmovement ojf this membercauses the cam surfaces 24 to engage thevrollers and to depress the member 14 against the action of theretracting springs 28.- This downward movement continues until thehorizontal portion 26 engages the rollers. In this position of theoperating mechanisms the lower hydroplaning surfaces, 17, of the brakeelement takes the approximate position shown by the dotted line, 17 a,in Figure 2. In this position. the bottom lportion of the brake servesas a hydroplane surface to increase the lift upon the lioat or pontoon.'It will be apl preciated that if such operation is effected at the timeit is desired to take off from the water the increased lifting eiectwill facilitate this upward movement. This breaking of the adhesionbetween the Water and the float at the moment of take-off is accentuatedthe dotted line position, shown at 17a, to the fully applied position,shown at 176, a positive retarding force will be set up due, as will beappreciated, to the resistance to movement offered oy the front section15.

It Will, therefore, be appreciated that this mechanism may be usedoptionally as a hydroplaning surface or as a hydro brake. Preferably thebrake is positioned in the rear of the center of gravity of the ship soas to minimize the tendency of the yplane to nose downwardly uponvapplication of the brakes. If desired, the elements 14 on each ofthepontoons may be separately operated so as to obtain a steering ordirective effect.

It will be appreciated that the lifting effect of the hydroplane surface17 may be adjusted or varied to suit any/set of conditions. Such amechanism is shown in Figures 3 and 4. In this circumstance the hydrobrake may comprise the casing member having top section 30 and sidesection 31. The

bottom or hydroplaning section 32 is pivoted at the front end by meansof the pivot `33 to the front casing wall. The rearward portion of thehydroplaning surfaces may be formed as a segmental section 34, whichabutts a similarly formed surface 35 on the rearward wall of the member.With this hydroplaning surface may be associated an adjusting mechanismwhich may be actuated to set the surface 32 at any desired angularity.As shown in the drawing this may take the form of a plurality of links,36, pivotal- 1y connected respectively to the hydroplaning surface 32and to the vertically adjustable links 37. These links may be internallythreaded to receive the adjusting bolts 38. These bolts have -asmooth-section 39 freely rotatable in the to wall 30 of the hydro brake,and a knurle or angularly configured top 40. It will be appreciated.that by rotation of the bolts, 38, the hydroplaning surface 32 may beelevated or depressed to i give any desired angul'arity.

It will now be appreciated that there has been provided a relativelysimple -mechanism which may subserve a plurality of useful function,for, as noted hereinbefore the device is adjusted at the volition of theoperator to act asa means for increasing the hydroplaning effect or as awater brake to retard the speed of the ship in maneuvering upon thewater. c

.While one embodiment of the invention has been described it is ,tobeunderstood that this is given merely as an example of any mechanismwhich will subserve the described functions or achieve the desiredresults.

I claim:

1. Al sea plane having pontoons, a member, having a hydroplane surfaceand a braking surface mounted on each pontoon and operable to serve as ahydroplane surface or as a water brake.

2. A sealane having pontoons, independently operaiile members,having ahydroplane surface and a braking surface mounted on each pontoon,operating means for each member adapted to move it either into aposition to serve as a hydroplane surface or as a hydron brake.

3. A fiying ship having a fuselage and a water sustaining surface, amember, having a hydroplane surface and a braking surface mounted at apoint laterally spaced from the longitudinal axis of the ship adapted toserve of the plane adapted to serve as a hydroplane l surface or a waterbraking surface.

6. A sea plane having twin pontoons,a member, having a hydroplanesurface and al braking` surface mounted on each pontoon and p spacednoutboard of the longitudinal axis of .the plane and rearwardly of itscenter of gravity adapted to serve as a hydroplane or a hydro brake.

7 A sea plane having water sustaining' surfaces, independently operablemembers said surface and having a hydroplane surface and a brakingsurface, and means to partially extend said member into contact wlth thewater to act as a hydroplane or to extend said member further to act asa vWater brake.

12.l A seaplane having a pontoon and a member associated therewithhaving a hydroplane surface and a braking surface, means to move themember to an inoperative posltion within the contour of the pontoon. topreserve the stream line effect when flying in air and to move saidmember outwardly of the contour of the pontoon .when cruising on theWater to serve yas a hydroplane surface y having a hydroplane surfaceand a braking surface mounted outboard of the longitudinal axis of theplane and rearwardly of its center of gravity, eachmember being adaptedin o ne operative-position to serve as avhydroplane surface and inanother brake.

8. A sea plane having a pontoon, a member having a combined hydroplaneand hydro brake surface and means for moving said member to aninoperative position Within the contour of the pontoon to preserve thestream line effect when flying in air. l

9. A sea plane having a pontoon, a. member, havinga hydroplane surfaceand a braking surface, and means to move said member to an inoperativeposition within the contour of the pontoon to vpreserve the stream lineeffect when iiying in air andA to move said member outwardly of thecontour of the pontoon when cruising on the Water to serveas ahydroplane surface, a hydro brake or a sea rudder.

10. A sea plane having a pontoon and memasa hydro ber, having ahydroplane surface and a brak-` surface, a member retractably mounted oni

